Hold Congress Accountable

Knowledge is power. It makes sure people understand what is happening to their country, and how they can make a difference. FreedomWorks University will give you the tools to understand economics, the workings of government, the history of the American legal system, and the most important debates facing our nation today. Enroll in FreedomWorks University today!

Search FreedomWorks

Resources

Blog

Totally Irresponsible Governance - The Fiscal Cliff

The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.- James Madison, Speech in the Virginia State Convention of 1829-1830

Totally Irresponsible Governance - The Fiscal Cliff

Congress and the President have created a very dangerous fiscal mess – a potential catastrophe, actually. The financial universe knows America cannot continue to pile our debt, and President Obama intends to increase our debt by $6 trillion over the next 10 years. America's status of being the world's reserve currency could instantaneously collapse and cause an enormous, economic calamity.

Bob Woodward, author of The Price of Politics, describes the “failed grand bargain” between President Obama and Speaker Boehner as the potential catastrophe and failure of the President and Congress:

We’re at an unnecessary point of catastrophe and peril. You know, they should have fixed this (the debt), or put it on the road to being fixed. Cut something. Find some way to get some sort of tax revenue, or the appearance of tax revenue. They should have just started something. And they didn’t.

Refusing to responsibly govern and reduce America's exploding debt, Congress and the President have created the draconian “fiscal cliff.” On January 1, 2013, our taxes will increase by $500,000,000,000 dollars annually (impacting almost everyone) and indiscriminating spending cuts will be made to all federal programs except Medicaid and Social Security. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and many experts project our tax increases and reduced spending will cause another recession. All our fiscal danger is caused by politicians – totally irresponsible egocentrics.

The “fiscal cliff” was intended to be so inanely constructed that it would force politicians to act. Now with the “cliff” approaching, Obama (if elected), Reid, Pelosi, Boehner and McConnell will make a deal to delay the implimentation of the “cliff.” Then, the ruling elite will “tweak” (fake) spending cuts and raise taxes. Therefore, “kicking the problem down the road,” and behaving as politicians usually do.

Astonishing, this dastardly process and potential danger has rarely been discussed in this vicious campaign season. Neither party dares talk about the abuse of power or encroaching, fiscal dangers. The DC media is either oblivious or would rather pander to their political cronies.

Only systemic, government reforms will save democracy, prosperity and freedom in America. First, however, America must have a discussion. We must ask ourselves, "What is the role of government?"

America's Founders had that discussion and our Founders all feared the power of government and the abuse of power. Unfortunatley, this power has become abused and later created our enormous debt and our quickly-approaching fiscal cliff. James Madison told the Virginia Convention:

The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.

Originally, our Constitution dispersed power away from an oligarchy like Obama, Reid, Boehner, Pelosi, and McConnell. Harmfully, the federal government has usurped this enormous power – especially fiscal and regulatory hegemony. Today, citizens outside the citadels of political power, e.g., DC and state capitols, know government is incompetent and corrupt, but feel helpless in making a change to our system.

We the People must renew the debate on our best form of governance.

We must educate ourselves on America's debt problem. Please watch a quick and thorough video on LearnLiberty.org.

We need to read and support the Tea Party Budget.The Budget is the most, serious proposal to reduce our debt and begin the restructuring process.

Soon, America's election imbroglios will end. Immediately afterward, the “fiscal cliff” will appear as an issue – a critical issue. We the People need to be ready to promote the Tea Party Budget and start the initial restructuring of our government. Otherwise, our children and grandchildren will be controlled and manipulated by egocentric politicians - the likes of Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Boehner and McConnell.

My good man, it has been the collective of We The People that have allowed this crisis to happen. How many times have we been at Town Hall meetings or other public political events and few if any charged the elected elite to remind them of their duties. How many have complained about their Congressman or Senators voting against the people but turned around at the next election and voted for the same haughty American Ruling Class. Until we organize and clean house of Democrats and Republicans alike and elect citizen legislators to replace them we will suffer the consequence. For several decades we have reelected 95% Incumbents. Check here: http://www.opensecrets.org/bigpicture/reelect.php

Assuming there will be a change in Administration direction (regardless who wins in the 2012 November election) what can we expect as an actual change in direction. Will the GOP should they run the slate actually start cutting Departments, aggressively fighting fraud, abuse, and waste, reduction in personnel, selling of unused assets and of course reducing/consoldidating programs.

Senator Kay Hagan is trying to prove she can be tough on the president, (although voting with the president’s agenda 92% of the time makes it hard to believe) by issuing a harsh statement about his commitment to and treatment of veterans. Senator Hagan released a statement minutes after it was announced that President Obama was going to speak at the American Legion’s 96th National Convention. The senator states, “I hope to hear the president address these challenges at the American Legion’s National Convention in Charlotte. I will be there to discuss some of the steps I want to see taken in Washington to uphold the commitment our government has made to North Carolina’s veterans.” She goes on to brag she is Member of the Armed Services Committee and that she “comes from a strong military family.”

Democracy and Power 112: Fidelity to Leadership
To be a powerful legislative force, a politician must be an obedient member of a party – Democrat or Republican. Obedient means absolute loyalty to their caucus’s dictates.

Democracy and Power 107: Counting Votes
Successful politicians are insecure and intimidated men. They advance politically only as they placate, appease, bribe, seduce, bamboozle or otherwise manage to manipulate the demanding and threatening elements in their constituencies. —Walter Lippmann (1889-1974), American Journalist and Author

On February 12, 2014 FreedomWorks and Rand Paul, under the legal counsel of Ken Cuccinelli, filed suit against Barack Obama & The NSA, claiming injury due to the warrantless collection of metadata of the cellphone records of Rand Paul and FreedomWorks members and employees. The case, 14-CV-262, was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Democracy and Power 108: Obfuscation
Wherever politics intrudes upon economic life, political success is readily attained by saying what people like to hear rather than what is demonstrably true. Instead of safeguarding truth and honesty, the state then tends to become a major source of insincerity and mendacity. —Hans F. Sennholz

Democracy and Power 105: The Politician seeks power
To some people, government appears as a vast reservoir of power which inspires them to dream of what use might be made of it. They have favorite projects of various dimensions which they sincerely believe are for the benefit of mankind. They are thus disposed to recognize government—an instrument of passion, the art of politics to inflame and direct desire.
- Michael Oakeshott – English political philosopher 1901-1990